Syreeta Wright
Encyclopedia
Syreeta Wright who recorded professionally under the single name Syreeta, was a Grammy
-nominated American singer-songwriter most notably known for her work with Stevie Wonder
and Billy Preston
.
in 1946, and started singing at age four. Her father died while serving in the Korean War
and Wright and her two sisters, Yvonne (later a songwriter in her own right) and Kim, were raised by their mother Essie and their grandmother. The Wrights moved back and forth from Detroit to South Carolina
before finally settling in Detroit just as Wright entered high school. Money problems kept Wright from pursuing a career in ballet
so Wright focused her attention on a music career joining several singing groups before landing a job as a receptionist
for Motown
in 1965. Within a year, she became a secretary for Mickey Stevenson, just as Martha Reeves
had done before her.
A year later, Edward Holland
of the famous Holland-Dozier-Holland
songwriting team noticed Wright's singing and decided to try her out for demos of Supremes
songs. Motown CEO Berry Gordy
shortened her birth name to "Rita," and Wright released her first solo single, "I Can't Give Back the Love I Feel for You", in January,1968. http://www.last.fm/music/Rita+Wright The song was initially written for the Supremes (by then billed as "Diana Ross & the Supremes"). They later recorded the song in 1969 and Diana Ross
re-recorded the song for her solo album, Surrender
. Wright's version became a hit for Northern soul
audiences in the United Kingdom
, a country where Wright would enjoy success.
Wright also performed demo vocals for the Supremes hit "Love Child
" and Ross's "Something's On My Mind", which Ross later recorded for her self-titled debut album. When Diana Ross
left the Supremes in early 1970, Motown boss Berry Gordy
considered replacing her with Syreeta, but offered the place in the group to Jean Terrell
. According to several sources, Gordy then changed his mind and tried to replace Terrell with Syreeta, but this was vetoed by Supreme Mary Wilson
.
Wright also sang background on records by the Supremes and by Martha and the Vandellas
, notably singing the chorus to the group's modest hit single, "I Can't Dance to That Music You're Playing
". Wright met labelmate Stevie Wonder
in 1968, and the two began dating the following year. On the advice of Wonder, Wright became a songwriter. Their first collaboration, "It's a Shame
", was recorded by The Spinners
, in 1969. Motown withheld its release until July 1970. The song reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100
. Wright also began singing background for Wonder, most notably on the hit "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)", which Wright co-wrote with Wonder. In September 1970, after a year-long courtship, Wright, twenty-four, and Wonder, twenty, married in Detroit. The couple then wrote and arranged songs from Wonder's Where I'm Coming From
, which was released much to Berry Gordy's chagrin in the spring of 1971. The Wonder-Wright composition "If You Really Love Me
" (which also featured Wright prominently singing background vocals) reached number-eight in the US that year. In 1971, following Wonder's exit from Motown, the couple relocated to New York
where Wonder worked on two independent albums.
. Following a tour opening for The Rolling Stones
in the summer of 1972, Wonder issued his follow-up, Talking Book
, which turned out to be Wonder's breakthrough album. In between the albums, Wright decided to return to her own singing career. Motown reassigned the singer from Motown's Gordy imprint, where "I Can't Give Back the Love I Feel for You", was released, to Motown's L.A.-based MoWest subsidiary. Wonder and Wright had marriage troubles and divorced in the summer of 1972, ending their 18-month marriage. Following their divorce, Wonder oversaw the production of Wright's first solo album, Syreeta
, which included Wright's take of Wonder's "I Love Every Little Thing About You" from Music of My Mind, the Smokey Robinson
classic, "What Love Has Joined Together
", and The Beatles
' "She's Leaving Home
", which featured both Wonder and Wright applying background vocals via the talk box
. MoWest issued "I Love Every Little Thing About You" in the late winter of 1972, but it failed to chart. Material from Syreeta and Wonder's Talking Book were deemed autobiographical due to the rise and fall of the ex-couple's marriage. Remaining best friends, Wright would continue to provide background vocals and compositions with Wonder for the next two decades.
In 1974, Wright was again reassigned this time to the Motown label proper (in the U.S.), and issued her second release, the aptly titled Stevie Wonder Presents: Syreeta
that June. Following the success of Minnie Riperton
's Perfect Angel
, which Wonder also produced, Wonder wanted to present Wright in the same light as Riperton as a sensual vocalist. The covers also were very similar to each other. Riperton added background vocals to the album, promptly at the end of the album track, "Heavy Day". The album yielded the UK singles, "I'm Goin' Left" (covered by Eric Clapton
and Jerry Butler
), "Spinnin' and Spinnin'" and the reggae
-flavored "Your Kiss is Sweet", which became a UK Top 40, reaching number 12 in 1975. The album also featured one duet with G.C. Cameron, formerly of the Spinners. The duo released the duet album, Rich Love, Poor Love in 1977. Production on Wright's third album, One to One
, went on for two years. The album featured the sole Wonder production, "Harmour Love", which found some success after being featured on the movie, Junebug
, and was mainly produced by Leon Ware
, who also produced Marvin Gaye
and Riperton.
Wright's next effort came courtesy of a chance meeting with Billy Preston
, who had signed with Motown in early 1979. Motown assigned the two to collaborate on a pop ballad for the movie Fast Break. Wright and Preston provided the soundtrack of the film and their first collaboration, "With You I'm Born Again
", resulted in an international hit reaching number-four US and number-two UK in late 1979. The success of the song led Motown to renew Wright's contract, which was due to expire that year with neither side looking to renegotiate. Wright and Preston continued their collaborations until 1982. Wright still worked with Wonder during this period singing the lead vocals for their composition, "Come Back as a Flower" for Wonder's Journey through the Secret Life of Plants
and also sung alongside Wonder on his 1980 song, "As If You Read My Mind" for Wonder's Hotter than July
album. Wright continued to provide background vocals until Wonder's 1995 album, Conversation Peace
.
Wright continued to record for Motown into the eighties releasing her second self-titled album
in 1980, and releasing the funk
-oriented Set My Love in Motion, in late 1981. The album featured the minor R&B hit, "Quick Slick", which peaked at number forty-one R&B in early 1982. Wright then issued The Spell in 1983 and left Motown two years later after collaborating with Smokey Robinson
for the soundtrack to Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon in 1985. Wright briefly recorded for Motorcity Records
before retiring from show business for good in the mid-1990s, settling in Los Angeles with her four children.
, lasted eighteen months between 1970 and 1972, while a marriage to bassist Curtis Robertson Jr was also short lived. Wright briefly lived in Ethiopia
in the mid-1970s where she worked as a transcendental meditation
teacher. The stay in Ethiopia inspired her third album, One to One
. Wright, a native of Pittsburgh and Detroit, briefly lived in South Carolina and then in New York while still married to Wonder. She eventually settled in Los Angeles where she lived for the rest of her life. Born and raised a Baptist
, she eventually converted to Islam
following her third marriage.
, a side effect of chemotherapy
and radiation
treatments she was receiving for breast
and bone cancers. She was 57 years old. She is survived by her four children Jamal, Hodari, Takiyah and Harmoni, and grandchildren.
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-nominated American singer-songwriter most notably known for her work with Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
and Billy Preston
Billy Preston
William Everett "Billy" Preston was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from...
.
Early life and career
Syreeta was born Syreeta Wright in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in 1946, and started singing at age four. Her father died while serving in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
and Wright and her two sisters, Yvonne (later a songwriter in her own right) and Kim, were raised by their mother Essie and their grandmother. The Wrights moved back and forth from Detroit to South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
before finally settling in Detroit just as Wright entered high school. Money problems kept Wright from pursuing a career in ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
so Wright focused her attention on a music career joining several singing groups before landing a job as a receptionist
Receptionist
A receptionist is an employee taking an office/administrative support position. The work is usually performed in a waiting area such as a lobby or front office desk of an organization or business...
for Motown
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
in 1965. Within a year, she became a secretary for Mickey Stevenson, just as Martha Reeves
Martha Reeves
Martha Rose Reeves is an American R&B and Pop singer and former politician, and was the lead singer of the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas. During her tenure with The Vandellas, they scored over a dozen hit singles, including "Jimmy Mack", "Dancing in the Street" and "Nowhere to Run"...
had done before her.
A year later, Edward Holland
Edward Holland, Jr.
Edward Holland, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter and record producer....
of the famous Holland-Dozier-Holland
Holland-Dozier-Holland
Holland–Dozier–Holland is a songwriting and production team made up of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian Holland and Edward Holland, Jr. They are considered to be one of the greatest songwriting teams in popular music...
songwriting team noticed Wright's singing and decided to try her out for demos of Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
songs. Motown CEO Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...
shortened her birth name to "Rita," and Wright released her first solo single, "I Can't Give Back the Love I Feel for You", in January,1968. http://www.last.fm/music/Rita+Wright The song was initially written for the Supremes (by then billed as "Diana Ross & the Supremes"). They later recorded the song in 1969 and Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
re-recorded the song for her solo album, Surrender
Surrender (Diana Ross album)
Surrender was a 1971 album by singer Diana Ross, her third solo LP for the Motown label.Ross' previous album, Everything is Everything, failed to generate interest due to Motown's rush and hurried efforts to further Ross' solo career, and did not chart as highly as expected. Surrender, however, was...
. Wright's version became a hit for Northern soul
Northern soul
Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...
audiences in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, a country where Wright would enjoy success.
Wright also performed demo vocals for the Supremes hit "Love Child
Love Child (song)
"Love Child" is a 1968 song released by the Motown label for Diana Ross & the Supremes, becoming the Supremes' 11th number-one single in the United States....
" and Ross's "Something's On My Mind", which Ross later recorded for her self-titled debut album. When Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
left the Supremes in early 1970, Motown boss Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...
considered replacing her with Syreeta, but offered the place in the group to Jean Terrell
Jean Terrell
Jean Terrell is an American R&B and jazz singer. She replaced Diana Ross as the lead singer of The Supremes in January 1970.-Early life and career:...
. According to several sources, Gordy then changed his mind and tried to replace Terrell with Syreeta, but this was vetoed by Supreme Mary Wilson
Mary Wilson
Mary Wilson may refer to:* Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx , British poet, widow of former British prime minister, Harold Wilson* Mary Wilson , American singer, member of The Supremes...
.
Wright also sang background on records by the Supremes and by Martha and the Vandellas
Martha and the Vandellas
Martha and the Vandellas were among the most successful groups of the Motown roster during the period 1963–1967...
, notably singing the chorus to the group's modest hit single, "I Can't Dance to That Music You're Playing
I Can't Dance To That Music You're Playing
"I Can't Dance to That Music You're Playing" is a 1968 funk-soul single by Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas. The song nearly returned the group to the top 40 on the pop singles chart peaking at number forty-two on the pop singles chart and reaching number twenty-four on the R&B singles...
". Wright met labelmate Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
in 1968, and the two began dating the following year. On the advice of Wonder, Wright became a songwriter. Their first collaboration, "It's a Shame
It's a Shame (The Spinners song)
"It's a Shame" is a song co-written by Stevie Wonder, Syreeta Wright and Lee Garrett and produced by Wonder as a single for The Spinners on Motown's V.I.P. Records label. The single became the Detroit-reared group's biggest single on the Motown Records company since they had signed with the company...
", was recorded by The Spinners
The Spinners (U.S. band)
The Spinners is a soul music vocal group, active for over 50 years, and with a long run of pop and R&B hits especially during the 1970s. The group, originating from Detroit, still tours regularly ....
, in 1969. Motown withheld its release until July 1970. The song reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. Wright also began singing background for Wonder, most notably on the hit "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)", which Wright co-wrote with Wonder. In September 1970, after a year-long courtship, Wright, twenty-four, and Wonder, twenty, married in Detroit. The couple then wrote and arranged songs from Wonder's Where I'm Coming From
Where I'm Coming From
Where I'm Coming From is the thirteenth studio album released by Grammy Award-winning American singer Stevie Wonder on the Motown label on April 12, 1971....
, which was released much to Berry Gordy's chagrin in the spring of 1971. The Wonder-Wright composition "If You Really Love Me
If You Really Love Me
"If You Really Love Me" is the title of a song written by Stevie Wonder and Syreeta Wright. Wonder recorded the song and released his version as a single from his 1971 album Where I'm Coming From. The single proved very successful, peaking in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 , Billboard's R&B...
" (which also featured Wright prominently singing background vocals) reached number-eight in the US that year. In 1971, following Wonder's exit from Motown, the couple relocated to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
where Wonder worked on two independent albums.
Solo career
Wonder returned to Motown in 1972 after being promised creative control for his recordings, allowing Wonder to set up a company called Black Bull Productions. Wonder and Wright came with songs for Wonder's next album, Music of My MindMusic of My Mind
- Side One :# "Love Having You Around" – 7:21#* Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, background vocal, Fender Rhodes, talk box, drums, Moog bass#* Art Baron – trombone#* Background Singers – uncredited...
. Following a tour opening for The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
in the summer of 1972, Wonder issued his follow-up, Talking Book
Talking Book
Talking Book is the fifteenth album by Stevie Wonder, released on October 28, 1972. A signal recording of his "classic period", in this one he "hit his stride"...
, which turned out to be Wonder's breakthrough album. In between the albums, Wright decided to return to her own singing career. Motown reassigned the singer from Motown's Gordy imprint, where "I Can't Give Back the Love I Feel for You", was released, to Motown's L.A.-based MoWest subsidiary. Wonder and Wright had marriage troubles and divorced in the summer of 1972, ending their 18-month marriage. Following their divorce, Wonder oversaw the production of Wright's first solo album, Syreeta
Syreeta (1972 album)
Syreeta is the debut solo album by Motown singer Syreeta Wright, released in 1972 on Motown's MoWest subsidiary. Produced by Wright's ex-husband Stevie Wonder, it was released following the former couple's separation and subsequent divorce...
, which included Wright's take of Wonder's "I Love Every Little Thing About You" from Music of My Mind, the Smokey Robinson
Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
classic, "What Love Has Joined Together
What Love Has Joined Together
"What Love Has Joined Together" is a song written and composed by Miracles members Smokey Robinson and Bobby Rogers, was recorded by five Motown acts: The Miracles, Mary Wells, The Temptations, Barbara McNair, and Syreeta, and was issued as B-sides to hits by Wells' and The Tempts; "Your Old...
", and The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' "She's Leaving Home
She's Leaving Home
"She's Leaving Home" is a song credited to Lennon–McCartney and released in 1967 on The Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. McCartney wrote and sang the verse and Lennon the chorus...
", which featured both Wonder and Wright applying background vocals via the talk box
Talk box
A talk box is an effects unit that allows a musician to modify the sound of a musical instrument. The musician controls the modification by lip syncing, or by changing the shape of the mouth...
. MoWest issued "I Love Every Little Thing About You" in the late winter of 1972, but it failed to chart. Material from Syreeta and Wonder's Talking Book were deemed autobiographical due to the rise and fall of the ex-couple's marriage. Remaining best friends, Wright would continue to provide background vocals and compositions with Wonder for the next two decades.
In 1974, Wright was again reassigned this time to the Motown label proper (in the U.S.), and issued her second release, the aptly titled Stevie Wonder Presents: Syreeta
Stevie Wonder Presents: Syreeta
Stevie Wonder Presents: Syreeta is the second full-length release by Motown recording artist Syreeta Wright, issued on the Motown label, in June 1974.-Reception:...
that June. Following the success of Minnie Riperton
Minnie Riperton
Minnie Julia Riperton was an American singer-songwriter best known for her 1975 single "Lovin' You". She was married to songwriter and music producer Richard Rudolph from 1972 until her death in the summer of 1979. They had two children - music engineer Marc Rudolph and actress/comedienne Maya...
's Perfect Angel
Perfect Angel
In 1973, a college intern for Epic Records found Riperton in semi-retirement. She had become a homemaker and a mother of two in Gainesville, Florida. After he heard a demo of the song "Seeing You This Way", the rep took the tape to Don Ellis, VP of A&R for Epic...
, which Wonder also produced, Wonder wanted to present Wright in the same light as Riperton as a sensual vocalist. The covers also were very similar to each other. Riperton added background vocals to the album, promptly at the end of the album track, "Heavy Day". The album yielded the UK singles, "I'm Goin' Left" (covered by Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
and Jerry Butler
Jerry Butler
Jerry Butler is the name of:*Jerry Butler , American soul singer and Chicago politician*Jerry Butler , former NFL wide receiver*Jerry Butler , professional ice hockey player...
), "Spinnin' and Spinnin'" and the reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
-flavored "Your Kiss is Sweet", which became a UK Top 40, reaching number 12 in 1975. The album also featured one duet with G.C. Cameron, formerly of the Spinners. The duo released the duet album, Rich Love, Poor Love in 1977. Production on Wright's third album, One to One
One To One (Syreeta album)
One To One is the third studio album released by Motown recording artist Syreeta Wright in 1977. It was the first album Wright released where former husband Stevie Wonder didn't overlook most of its production with the exception of one song.-Background:...
, went on for two years. The album featured the sole Wonder production, "Harmour Love", which found some success after being featured on the movie, Junebug
Junebug (film)
Junebug is a 2005 American comedy-drama film directed by Phil Morrison. It was released on August 3, 2005 and stars Amy Adams, Alessandro Nivola, Embeth Davidtz, and Benjamin McKenzie...
, and was mainly produced by Leon Ware
Leon Ware
Leon Ware is a soul music singer, songwriter and producer. Best known for crafting the hit album, I Want You, originally recorded for Ware, until friend and Motown icon Marvin Gaye was assigned to the album in 1976...
, who also produced Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
and Riperton.
Wright's next effort came courtesy of a chance meeting with Billy Preston
Billy Preston
William Everett "Billy" Preston was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from...
, who had signed with Motown in early 1979. Motown assigned the two to collaborate on a pop ballad for the movie Fast Break. Wright and Preston provided the soundtrack of the film and their first collaboration, "With You I'm Born Again
With You I'm Born Again
"With You I'm Born Again" is a 1979 duet single by Motown recording artists Billy Preston and Syreeta Wright, released as a single from the soundtrack of the motion picture, Fast Break. The song was credited as "Billy Preston and Syreeta" and written by Carol Connors & David Shire...
", resulted in an international hit reaching number-four US and number-two UK in late 1979. The success of the song led Motown to renew Wright's contract, which was due to expire that year with neither side looking to renegotiate. Wright and Preston continued their collaborations until 1982. Wright still worked with Wonder during this period singing the lead vocals for their composition, "Come Back as a Flower" for Wonder's Journey through the Secret Life of Plants
Journey through the Secret Life of Plants
Stevie Wonder's Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants" is an album by Stevie Wonder, originally released on the Tamla Motown label on October 30, 1979...
and also sung alongside Wonder on his 1980 song, "As If You Read My Mind" for Wonder's Hotter than July
Hotter than July
Hotter than July is the nineteenth album by Stevie Wonder, originally released on Motown's Tamla label on September 29, 1980. Despite the wide critical acclaim for Wonder's previous works such as Songs in the Key of Life and Innervisions, Hotter than July was his first album eligible for platinum...
album. Wright continued to provide background vocals until Wonder's 1995 album, Conversation Peace
Conversation Peace
Conversation Peace is the twenty-second album released by American musician Stevie Wonder, released on the Motown label in 1995. The album was Wonder's first full-length non-soundtrack studio album since 1987's Characters...
.
Wright continued to record for Motown into the eighties releasing her second self-titled album
Syreeta (1980 album)
Syreeta is the fourth solo album by Motown recording artist and American singer-songwriter Syreeta Wright , released by the Tamla label on April 26, 1980...
in 1980, and releasing the funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
-oriented Set My Love in Motion, in late 1981. The album featured the minor R&B hit, "Quick Slick", which peaked at number forty-one R&B in early 1982. Wright then issued The Spell in 1983 and left Motown two years later after collaborating with Smokey Robinson
Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
for the soundtrack to Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon in 1985. Wright briefly recorded for Motorcity Records
Motorcity Records
Motorcity Records is a British record label formed by producer Ian Levine in 1989. The label aimed to record new material with former Motown artists.-History:...
before retiring from show business for good in the mid-1990s, settling in Los Angeles with her four children.
Personal life
Syreeta was married three times during her life. Her first marriage, to longtime collaborator Stevie WonderStevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, lasted eighteen months between 1970 and 1972, while a marriage to bassist Curtis Robertson Jr was also short lived. Wright briefly lived in Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
in the mid-1970s where she worked as a transcendental meditation
Transcendental Meditation
Transcendental Meditation refers to the Transcendental Meditation technique, a specific form of mantra meditation, and to the Transcendental Meditation movement, a spiritual movement...
teacher. The stay in Ethiopia inspired her third album, One to One
One To One (Syreeta album)
One To One is the third studio album released by Motown recording artist Syreeta Wright in 1977. It was the first album Wright released where former husband Stevie Wonder didn't overlook most of its production with the exception of one song.-Background:...
. Wright, a native of Pittsburgh and Detroit, briefly lived in South Carolina and then in New York while still married to Wonder. She eventually settled in Los Angeles where she lived for the rest of her life. Born and raised a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
, she eventually converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
following her third marriage.
Death
Syreeta Wright died on July 6, 2004 of congestive heart failureCongestive heart failure
Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
, a side effect of chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
and radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
treatments she was receiving for breast
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
and bone cancers. She was 57 years old. She is survived by her four children Jamal, Hodari, Takiyah and Harmoni, and grandchildren.
Studio albums
- SyreetaSyreeta (1972 album)Syreeta is the debut solo album by Motown singer Syreeta Wright, released in 1972 on Motown's MoWest subsidiary. Produced by Wright's ex-husband Stevie Wonder, it was released following the former couple's separation and subsequent divorce...
(1972) - Stevie Wonder Presents: SyreetaStevie Wonder Presents: SyreetaStevie Wonder Presents: Syreeta is the second full-length release by Motown recording artist Syreeta Wright, issued on the Motown label, in June 1974.-Reception:...
(1974) - One to OneOne To One (Syreeta album)One To One is the third studio album released by Motown recording artist Syreeta Wright in 1977. It was the first album Wright released where former husband Stevie Wonder didn't overlook most of its production with the exception of one song.-Background:...
(1977) - Rich Love, Poor Love with G.C. Cameron (1977)
- Fast Break with Billy PrestonBilly PrestonWilliam Everett "Billy" Preston was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from...
(1979) - SyreetaSyreeta (1980 album)Syreeta is the fourth solo album by Motown recording artist and American singer-songwriter Syreeta Wright , released by the Tamla label on April 26, 1980...
(1980) - Set My Love in MotionSet My Love In MotionSet My Love In Motion is the Grammy Award-nominated fifth studio album by the late Grammy-nominated American R&B singer-songwriter Syreeta Wright , released on the Motown label on July 2, 1981. It debuted on the Billboard R&B Albums at #10, at #43 on the Billboard 200...
(1981) - Billy Preston & Syreeta (1981)
- The Spell (1983)
- With You I'm Born Again Japan only (1990)
Singles
- "I Can't Give Back the Love I Feel for You" (1968)
- "To Know You is to Love You" (1972)
- "I Love Every Little Thing About You" (1972)
- "Come and Get This Stuff" (1974)
- "I'm Goin' Left" (1974)
- "Spinnin' and Spinnin'" (1974) (#49 UK)
- "Your Kiss is Sweet" (1975) (#12 UK)
- "Harmour Love" (1977) (#75 US R&B, #32 UK)
- "Let's Make a Deal" (1977) (w/ G.C. Cameron) (#40 US Club)
- "With You I'm Born AgainWith You I'm Born Again"With You I'm Born Again" is a 1979 duet single by Motown recording artists Billy Preston and Syreeta Wright, released as a single from the soundtrack of the motion picture, Fast Break. The song was credited as "Billy Preston and Syreeta" and written by Carol Connors & David Shire...
" (1979) (w/ Billy PrestonBilly PrestonWilliam Everett "Billy" Preston was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from...
) (#4 US, #86 US R&B, #2 UK) - "Go For It" (1979) with Billy PrestonBilly PrestonWilliam Everett "Billy" Preston was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from...
- "One More Time for Love" (1980) (w/ Billy Preston) (#52 US, #72 US R&B)
- "It Will Come in Time" (1980) (w/ Billy Preston) (#47 UK)
- "You Set My Love in Motion" (1981)
- "Can't Shake Your Love" (1981)
- "Quick Slick" (1982) (#41 R&B)